Cold Lazarus

Last updated

Cold Lazarus
Created by Dennis Potter
Directed by Renny Rye
Starring Albert Finney
Country of originUnited Kingdom
No. of episodes4
Production
Producer Kenith Trodd
Editor Clare Douglas
Running time60 minutes
Original release
Network Channel 4
BBC One
Release26 May (1996-05-26) –
16 June 1996 (1996-06-16)

Cold Lazarus is a four-part British television drama written by Dennis Potter with the knowledge that he was dying of pancreatic cancer. [1] [2] It forms the second half of a pair with the television serial Karaoke .

Contents

Production

Karaoke and Cold Lazarus were filmed as a single production by the same team; both were directed by Renny Rye and feature Albert Finney as the writer Daniel Feeld. The plays were unique in being co-productions between the BBC and Channel 4, something Potter had expressly requested before his death.

Parts of Karaoke and Cold Lazarus were filmed in the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire, which is where Dennis Potter was born and raised, and children from local schools including St Briavels Parochial Primary School appeared in the film as extras in flashbacks.

Plot

Cold Lazarus is set in the 24th century, in a dystopian US-annexed Britain (a.k.a the 51st state) where the ruined streets are unsafe, and where society is run by American oligarchs in charge of powerful commercial corporations which run the US government and have annexed the British Isles. Experiences are almost all virtual, and anything deemed authentic (such as coffee and cigarettes) has either been banned or replaced by synthetic substitutes. [3]

At a cryonics research institute in the former capital city of London, funded by the pharmaceuticals tycoon Martina Masdon, a group of scientists led by Dr. Emma Porlock is working on reviving the mind of the 20th-century writer Daniel Feeld, whose head was frozen after Feeld's death shortly after the events of Karaoke., but prior to the Y2K-caused world war 3 which lead to the future depicted, Unable to see any profit in the project, Masdon considers discontinuing it, but the media mogul David Siltz, who has been spying on Masdon, envisages making a fortune from broadcasting Feeld's memories on TV, and proposes to Porlock that her team work for him.

Porlock is unaware that a member of her team, Fyodor Glazunov is a member of the resistance group RON ('Reality Or Nothing'), which attempts to undermine the reliance of society upon advanced technology by carrying out violent attacks. Glazunov identifies Kaya, another of Porlock's team, as a potential recruit to his superior Andrew Milton, but Milton kills Kaya, believing her unsuitable. Angered by Kaya's murder, Glazunov kills Milton. Porlock then discovers the truth about Glazunov but, to distract him from the possibility of killing her, consults with him about the Siltz deal. Glazunov approves of the broadcast of Feeld's memories, which he believes might provoke a revolt against the 'inauthentic' life propagated by the authorities. It is shortly after this that Porlock accepts Siltz's offer, just as Masdon realises the potential of the Lazarus project.

As more of Feeld's thoughts and memories are unearthed, it becomes evident not only that Feeld's mind is conscious of its predicament, but also that Feeld is attempting to communicate with the scientists, and is pleading to be allowed to die. At this point Glazunov, Porlock and Luanda Partington (another long standing member of the team) begin to doubt the morality of their project. Another of their team, Watson, having been coerced into informing on his colleagues, unwittingly denounces Glazunov as a RON member and saboteur. Having been warned, Glazunov heads for the laboratory to put Feeld out of his misery. In the confrontation that ensues, Glazunov is able to kill Siltz, and, after a final communication with Feeld (in which they make eye contact), he destroys the laboratory, Feeld's head, and himself, in the process.

Cast

The series also featured an early TV appearance by Rupert Penry-Jones as a militiaman.

Additionally, some of the cast of Karaoke appear in Feeld's flashbacks.

Episodes

Broadcast and release

The show was first broadcast on Channel 4 in 1996 on Sunday evenings, with a repeat on BBC1 the following day.

The series was broadcast in the United States in 1997 on Bravo. [14] The series had previously been offered to PBS. [15]

Both series are available to watch online via the Channel 4 website. [5]

Both Karaoke and Cold Lazarus were released on DVD from Acorn Media in September 2010. [16] The four episodes are embodied in two discs. The discs include menus and biographies. [17]

Reception

Christpher Dunkley said that Cold Lazarus is "astonishing". [18]

Legacy

Many of the futuristic costumes made for the actors to wear in Cold Lazarus were later bought by the film company Wibbell Productions and subsequently used in the feature film The Vampires of Bloody Island in 2007.[ citation needed ] Wibbell later sold many of them individually to private collectors in 2013.[ citation needed ]

A spaceship prop, in 2023, was in Leighton Buzzard and for sale. [19]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Albert Finney</span> English actor (1936–2019)

Albert Finney was an English actor. He attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and worked in the theatre before attaining fame for movie acting during the early 1960s, debuting with The Entertainer (1960), directed by Tony Richardson, who had previously directed him in theatre. He maintained a successful career in theatre, film and television.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dennis Potter</span> British dramatist and screenwriter (1935–1994)

Dennis Christopher George Potter was an English television dramatist, screenwriter and journalist. He is best known for his BBC television serials Pennies from Heaven (1978) and The Singing Detective (1986) as well as the BBC television plays Blue Remembered Hills (1979) and Brimstone and Treacle (1976). His television dramas mixed fantasy and reality, the personal and the social, and often used themes and images from popular culture. Potter is widely regarded as one of the most influential and innovative dramatists to have worked in British television.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bravo (American TV network)</span> American pay television channel

Bravo is an American basic cable television network, launched on December 8, 1980. It is owned by the NBCUniversal Media Group division of Comcast's NBCUniversal. The channel originally focused on programming related to fine arts and film. Since the 2000s, its brand has focused heavily on reality series targeted at 25-to-54-year-old women and the LGBTQIA+ community at large.

Karaoke is a 1996 British television drama written by Dennis Potter with the knowledge that he was dying from pancreatic cancer.

<i>The Singing Detective</i> 1986 BBC television serial drama

The Singing Detective is a six-part BBC television serial drama, written by Dennis Potter, starring Michael Gambon and directed by Jon Amiel. Its six episodes are "Skin", "Heat", "Lovely Days", "Clues", "Pitter Patter" and "Who Done It".

<i>The Wednesday Play</i> British TV drama anthology (1964–1970)

The Wednesday Play is an anthology series of British television plays which ran on BBC1 for six seasons from October 1964 to May 1970. The plays were usually original works written for television, although dramatic adaptations of fiction also featured. The series gained a reputation for presenting contemporary social dramas, and for bringing issues to the attention of a mass audience that would not otherwise have been discussed on screen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hywel Bennett</span> Welsh actor (1944–2017)

Hywel Thomas Bennett was a Welsh film and television actor. He had a lead role in The Family Way (1966) and played the titular "thinking man's layabout" James Shelley in the television sitcom Shelley (1979–1992).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blue Remembered Hills</span> 14th episode of the 9th series of Play for Today

"Blue Remembered Hills" is the 14th episode of ninth season of the British BBC anthology TV series Play for Today. The episode was a television play that was originally broadcast on 30 January 1979. "Blue Remembered Hills" was written by Dennis Potter, directed by Brian Gibson and produced by Kenith Trodd.

<i>Timewatch</i> 1982 British TV series or programme

Timewatch is a long-running British television series showing documentaries on historical subjects, spanning all human history. It was first broadcast on 29 September 1982 and is produced by the BBC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frances de la Tour</span> English actress (born 1944)

Frances J. de Lautour, better known as Frances de la Tour, is an English actress. She is known for her role as Miss Ruth Jones in the television sitcom Rising Damp from 1974 until 1978. She is a Tony Award winner and three-time Olivier Award winner.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Nesbitt</span> Northern Irish actor (born 1965)

William James Nesbitt is an actor from Northern Ireland. From 1987, Nesbitt spent seven years performing in plays that varied from the musical Up on the Roof to the political drama Paddywack (1994). He made his feature film debut playing talent agent Fintan O'Donnell in Hear My Song (1991). He got his breakthrough television role playing Adam Williams in the romantic comedy-drama series Cold Feet, which won him a British Comedy Award, a Television and Radio Industries Club Award, and a National Television Award.

Francis Bernard Heptonstall better known by the stage name Bernard Hepton, was an English theatre director and actor. He is known for his stage work and television roles in teleplays and series, he also appeared briefly on radio and in film.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paley Center for Media</span> American museum of broadcasting

The Paley Center for Media, formerly the Museum of Television & Radio (MT&R) and the Museum of Broadcasting, founded in 1975 by William S. Paley, is an American cultural institution in New York City with a branch office in Los Angeles. It is dedicated to the discussion of the cultural, creative, and social significance of television, radio, and emerging platforms for the professional community and media-interested public.

<i>American Playhouse</i> Anthology television series

American Playhouse is an American anthology television series periodically broadcast by Public Broadcasting Service (PBS).

Dennis Potter was an English dramatist with a large canon of work.

Ian Francis Kelly is a British writer and actor. His works include historical biographies, stage and screenplays.

Double Dare (<i>Play for Today</i>) 24th episode of the 6th series of Play for Today

"Double Dare" is the 24th episode of sixth season of the British BBC anthology TV series Play for Today. The episode was a television play that was originally broadcast on 6 April 1976. "Double Dare" was written by Dennis Potter, directed by John Mackenzie, produced by Kenith Trodd, and starred Alan Dobie.

<i>Blade on the Feather</i> 1980 television film directed by Richard Loncraine

Blade on the Feather is a television drama by Dennis Potter, broadcast by ITV on 19 October 1980 as the first in a loosely connected trilogy of plays exploring language and betrayal. A pastiche of the John Le Carré spy thriller and transmitted eleven months after Anthony Blunt was exposed as the 'fourth man', the drama combines two of Potter's major themes: the visitation motif and political disillusionment. The play's title is taken from "The Eton Boating Song".

<i>The Feathered Serpent</i> (TV series) British childrens TV series (1976–1978)

The Feathered Serpent is a British children's serial costume drama television series made for ITV by Thames Television, set in pre-Columbian Mexico and starring Patrick Troughton as the scheming High Priest Nasca. It is an adventure story about good and evil. Two series were first broadcast in 1976 and 1978.

Renny Rye is a British television director known for his work in television drama.

References

  1. ↑ Jasper Rees and Dominic Cavendish."Dennis Potter: the end game". The Independent. 24 April 1996. Archived 8 August 2014 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ↑ Derek Elley (19 June 1996). "Cold Lazarus". Variety. Retrieved 4 April 2015.
  3. ↑ "DVD Savant Blu-ray x Review". Dvdtalk.com. 12 September 2010. Retrieved 4 April 2015.
  4. ↑ This title appears on the screen.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Cold Lazarus". Channel 4.
  6. ↑ For a review of this episode, see Lynne Truss, "There's no resting in peace for Potter's Feeld", The Times, 27 May 1996, p 35
  7. ↑ Christopher Dunkley, "More than cops and docs", The Financial Times, 19 June 1996, p 9
  8. ↑ "Why Dennis Potter's dying opus flopped", London Evening Standard
  9. ↑ "Episode 1", Cold Lazarus, BBC
  10. ↑ "Cold Lazarus: Two (TV)", The Paley Center for Media.
  11. ↑ "Cold Lazarus: Three (TV)", The Paley Center for Media.
  12. ↑ For a review of this episode, see Lynne Truss, "How could the Queen be so insensitive?", The Times, 17 June 1996, p 47
  13. ↑ "Cold Lazarus: Four (TV)", The Paley Center for Media.
  14. ↑ Martie Zad, "Bravo Airs Potter's Final Dramas", The Washington Post, 1 June 1997
  15. ↑ Howard Rosenberg, "Final Gifts From a TV Master", Los Angeles Times, 7 August 1996
  16. ↑ Simon Kinnear, "Cold Lazarus", Total Film, 1 September 2010: . Archived 11 August 2014 at the Wayback Machine
  17. ↑ Cliff Chapman. "Dennis Potter: Karaoke & Cold Lazarus DVD review". Den of Geek. 7 September 2010.
  18. ↑ Christopher Dunkley, "Where fantasy, reality and memory meet", The Financial Times, 24 April 1996, p 11
  19. ↑ "Cold Lazarus TV spaceship prop sits in Leighton Buzzard front garden". BBC News. 10 June 2023. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.